US432207A

US432207A - Electric switch

Info

Publication number: US432207A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1890-07-15
Anticipated expiration: 1907-07-15

Description

(No Model) l y l J. F. MGLAGHLIN.

B-LEGTMG SWITCH. 5 A N0 432,207 Patentd July-15, 1890.

UNITED ASTATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. MCLAUGIILIN,l OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 432,207, dated July 15, 1890. Application ned April 1'7, 1890. serial No. 348.330: (No model.)

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that 1, JAMES F. MCLAUGHLIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in` Electrical Switches, of vwhich the following is a specification. Y

This invention has reference to improvements in electric switches; and its main object is to switch a measuring-instrument into or out of the circuit Withoutbreaking orotherwise materially alfecting thelatter.

It consists, essentially, of a switch-arm included in the main circuit and two contact- /plates in the path of said arm, on e being in- .cluded normally in the .main circuit and the other in a circuit including the measuringinstrument, the arrangement being such that inl 011e position of the switch the current from the generator flows directly to the translating device and in the other position of the switch to which it is turned without at any time breaking the circuit the measuring-instrument is included in the circuit with the' translating device.

There are special advantages, due to some of the features entering into the construction of the improved switch, which are applicable to other switches, and these Vadvantages will appear from thc following detailed description, in which reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speci- Ication; but to the exact construction illustrated therein I am in no manner confined, since, as will beevident, such construction may be variously modified without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1. is a plan View of the switch with the source of electricity and translating and measuring devices and the circuit-connections shown diagrannnatically. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the switch with the switch-arm in a central position bridging the two contact-plates. tion on the line fr. of Fig. 2. Fig. Liis a section taken on the curved line y1] of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a similarsection of a modified form of the device shown in Fig. 4, and Fig. G is a plan of a detail of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown Fig. 3 is a vertical sec a base 1, of any suitable insulating material, in which is seated a casting 2, consisting of two posts 3 4,joined at their lower ends, and 55 spaced a distance apart by an integral portion of the casting. lThe two posts 3 4 extend through the base 1 and above the face of the same, while the portion of the casting joining the two posts is seated in a recess formed 6o on the under side of the base, so that the bottom of the casting is flush with the latter, and through this said portion of the casting 'n extend screws 5, which serve to secure it to the base 1.

The post 3 is reduced in size at its upper end, as shown at G, to form aspindle or pivot for a switch-arm', which is held at a distance above the base 1 by the shoulder of the spin.- die, as shown, and it is prevented from being 7o lifted from the post by a screw 8, entering a nut formed in the said post, and between the head of the screw and the upper face of the switch-arm there isinterposed aspring-washer 9, which serves to maintain at all times good electrical contact' between the switch-arm and its supporting-post. At the out-er end the switch-arm is provided with a manipr lating-handle 10, of insulating materiahan at the inner end it is slightly expanded, as 8o shown at 11. In the path of the expanded end of the switch-arm there are two curved contact plates or blocks 12 13, with their adjacent ends a-t such distance apart that.tl1e said expanded end 11 of the switch-arm on 85 passing from one contact-plate to the other will bridge the space between them, and

thereby establish good contact with one plate before leaving the other.

The base 1 is recessed, as shown at 14, to 9o receive the contact-plates, which are held thereto by screws 15, passing loosely through the base and projecting upward and entering nuts formed in the said contact-plates. The holes in the base 1 for the passage of ther 95 screws 15 are eountersunk, as shown at 16, to receive the screw-heads'and permit the screws to have a limited longitudinal movement, which is participated in by the contactplates 12 and 18. Within each recess 14 in the loc form most clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4 there is a curved spring-plate 17, provided with a central perforation 1S for the passage of the screw 15, and end slots 19 for the passage of guide-pins 20, depending from the contact-block and entering holcs 21 in the base 1. The spring-plates 17, it will be observed, are curved in one plane to conform to the shape of the contact-plates and recesses 14, and are also curved in another plane, so that the ends support the said contact-plates at a distance above the bottoms of the recesses 14 limited by the screws 15. At their highest point the contact-plates have their upper or contact faces slightly above the lower or contact face of the switch-lever, and when the latter is moved over the said contact-plates the supporting spring-plates 17 yield sufficiently to permit such operation,

thus insuring at all times good electrical contact between the switch-arm and plates and providing a means which compensates for wear between the contact-surfaces. The two adjacent ends of the contact-plates may be beveled at their upper edges or corners, as shown at 22, so that the switch-arm may ride easily onto the surfaces of the said contactplates.

-A slightly-modified form of mounting for the contactfplates is shown in Fig.5, in which the spring-plate 17 is replaced by helical springs 23, surrounding theguide-pins 2O and interposed between each of the said contactplates and the vbottom ot the respective recess 14. y

The switch constructed as described is included in a main circuit, also including a battery 24 or other suitable source of electricity and a translating device 25, which in the present instance is diagrammatically represented as an electric motor. The terminal of a conductor 96, coming from the battery 24 and forming a part of the main circuit, is -mnected .to the contact-plate 12 by means of 'binding-screw 527, or oth crwise, and another 'iductor 2S, also forming part of the main circuit and connected to the motor, is secured to the post 4 by means of a binding-screw 29. The. contact-plate 12 is connected toa measuringinstrument P30 by a conductor 31, secured to the said contact-plate by the screw 27, and thc contact-plate 13 is also connected to the measuring-instrument 30 by a conductor 32. \Vhen the switch-arm is on the contact-plate 12, the current will pass by the conductor 26 from one pole of the battery through the contact-plate 12, the switch-arm, the casting 2, and the conductor 28 to the motor 25,-fron1 whence it will return to the other pole of the battery.

IVhen it is desirable to introduce the measuring-instrumentinto the circuit, the switch is moved onto the other contact-plate 13, when the current will pass from the battery by the conductors 26 and 3l to the measuring-instrument 30, thence by the conductor 32, contactductor 28 to the motor, from whence it returns to the battery.

It will be observed that the measuring-instrument may be switched into or out of the circuit without at any time breaking the circuit from the battery to the motor, for, as has been before explained, the switch-arm makes contact with one contact-plate before it leaves the other.

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. ln an electric switch, the combination, with two contact-plates and a switch-arm adapted for making contact with either or both of the contact-plates, of a. charged electric circuit with a translating device therein, terminating in one of the contact-plates and in the switch-arm, respectively, and an electric measuring device, the terminals of which are connected with the two contact-plates, respectively, substantially as described.

2. In an electric switch, the combination, with a suitable base and a pivoted switch-arm, of curved contactfplates in the path of said arm, and springs interposed between the base and contact-plates, said springs being curved in one plane to conform to the shape of the contact-plates and bent up at the ends to support the ends of said plates, and being itself supported in the middle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES F. MCLAUGHLIN.

Witnesses:

HERBERT P. KER, EDWIN F. GLENN.

plate 13, the switch-arm, cast-ing 2, and con- Having now fully described my invention,